You’re excited to turn on your boiler and get that comforting, radiant warmth boiler owners love. However, when the heat kicks in, you notice something alarming. A loud rumbling or banging noise may worry you, and you’re right to be alarmed.
There could be a few different reasons for the sounds coming from your boiler. However, today we are going to focus on the most common and most likely culprit: kettling.
How Hard Water Leads to Kettling
Kettling is the name for what happens when a boiler actually boils. A boiler is supposed to heat the water to circulate around your home, but it shouldn’t actually get so hot that it steams and boils. This is a problem.
Hard water in the home leaves behind sediment, or mineral deposits (scaling) that settle at the bottom of the tank. This changes the pressure inside of the tank, and air bubbles must try to escape past the layer of sediment in the tank. When they do, the collapse at the top of the tank, and that’s the explanation for the noises you hear.
You probably don’t have to be worried about the tank exploding, since there are safety devices built in to prevent this. However, it’s still important to call technicians ASAP to take care of the issue before your boiler breaks down.
Potential Solutions to Boiler Kettling
Kettling may be treated in a few different ways. Sometimes, technicians need to get down to the roots, allowing for the boiler water to be treated before moving through the tank. Other times, the best option is to flush the tank periodically.
Unfortunately, we do occasionally find that kettling is the result of an improperly installed boiler. In some cases, the boiler may need to be replaced simply because it is the wrong size for the home. However, our technicians would never recommend this solution unless it were truly your only option.
Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning offers complete boiler services for homeowners in the Colorado Springs area. Call our friendly team today!
